[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3511-S3513]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 6388. Ms. CORTEZ MASTO submitted an amendment intended to be
proposed by her to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for
fiscal year
[[Page S3512]]
2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle E of title X, add the following:
SEC. 1050. INNOVATIVE AND EMERGING BORDER TECHNOLOGY PLAN.
(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the
``Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act''.
(b) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland
Security, acting through the Commissioner for U.S. Customs
and Border Protection (referred to in this section as
``CBP'') and the Under Secretary for Science and Technology
of the Department of Homeland Security, and in consultation
with the Department of Homeland Security's Chief Information
Officer, Chief Procurement Officer, Privacy Officer, Officer
for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and General Counsel,
and any other relevant offices and components of the
Department of Homeland Security, shall submit a plan to the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of
the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the
House of Representatives for identifying, integrating, and
deploying new, innovative, disruptive, or other emerging or
advanced technologies that are safe and secure to enhance CBP
capabilities to meet its mission needs along international
borders or at ports of entry.
(c) Contents.--The plan required under subsection (b) shall
include--
(1) information regarding how CBP utilizes the CBP
Innovation Team authority under subsection (c) and other
mechanisms to carry out the purposes described in subsection
(b);
(2) an assessment of the contributions directly
attributable to such utilization;
(3) information regarding--
(A) the composition of each CBP Innovation Team; and
(B) how each CBP Innovation Team coordinates and integrates
efforts with the CBP acquisition program office and other
partners within CBP and the Department of Homeland Security;
(4) the identification of technologies used by other
Federal departments or agencies not in use by CBP that could
assist in enhancing mission needs along international borders
or at ports of entry;
(5) an analysis of authorities available to CBP to procure
technologies referred to in subsection (b);
(6) an assessment of whether additional or alternative
authorities are needed to carry out the purposes described in
subsection (b);
(7) an explanation of how CBP plans to scale existing
programs related to emerging or advanced technologies that
are safe and secure into programs of record;
(8) a description of each planned security-related
technology program, including objectives, goals, and
timelines for each such program;
(9) an assessment of the potential privacy, civil rights,
civil liberties, and safety impacts of these technologies on
individuals, and potential mitigation measures;
(10) an assessment of CBP legacy border technology programs
that could be phased out and replaced with technologies
referred to in subsection (b), including cost estimates
relating to such phase out and replacement;
(11) information relating to how CBP is coordinating with
the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology
Directorate--
(A) to research and develop new, innovative, disruptive, or
other emerging or advanced technologies that are safe and
secure to carry out the purposes described in subsection (b);
(B) to identify new, innovative, disruptive, or other
emerging or advanced technologies that are safe and secure
and that are in development or have been deployed by the
private and public sectors and may satisfy the mission needs
of CBP, with or without adaptation;
(C) to incentivize the private sector to develop
technologies, including privacy enhancing technologies, that
may help CBP meet mission needs to enhance, or address
capability gaps in, border security operations; and
(D) to identify and assess ways to increase opportunities
for communication and collaboration with the private sector,
small, and disadvantaged businesses, intra-governmental
entities, university centers of excellence, and Federal
laboratories to leverage emerging technology and research
within the public and private sectors;
(12) information relating to how CBP is coordinating with
the Department of Homeland Security official responsible for
artificial intelligence policy to ensure the plan complies
with the Department's policies and measures promoting
responsible use of artificial intelligence;
(13) information regarding metrics and key performance
parameters for evaluating the effectiveness of efforts to
identify, integrate, and deploy new, innovative, disruptive,
or other emerging or advanced technologies that are safe and
secure to carry out the purposes described in subsection (b);
(14) the identification of recent technological
advancements relating to--
(A) manned aircraft sensor, communication, and common
operating picture technology;
(B) unmanned aerial systems and related technology,
including counter-unmanned aerial system technology;
(C) surveillance technology, including--
(i) mobile surveillance vehicles;
(ii) associated electronics, including cameras, sensor
technology, and radar;
(iii) tower-based surveillance technology;
(iv) advanced unattended surveillance sensors; and
(v) deployable, lighter-than-air, ground surveillance
equipment;
(D) nonintrusive inspection technology, including non-X-ray
devices utilizing muon tomography and other advanced
detection technology;
(E) tunnel detection technology; and
(F) communications equipment, including--
(i) radios;
(ii) long-term evolution broadband; and
(iii) miniature satellites;
(15) information relating to how CBP is coordinating with
the Department of Homeland Security's Chief Information
Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Privacy Officer, Civil
Rights and Civil Liberties Officer, General Counsel, and
other relevant offices and components of the Department in
researching, developing, acquiring, or scaling new,
innovative, disruptive, or other emerging or advanced
technologies that are safe and secure; and
(16) any other information the Secretary determines to be
relevant.
(d) CBP Innovation Team Authority.--
(1) In general.--The Commissioner for CBP is authorized to
maintain 1 or more CBP Innovation Teams to research and adapt
commercial technologies that are new, innovative, disruptive,
privacy enhancing, or otherwise emerging or advanced and may
be used by CBP--
(A) to enhance mission needs along international borders
and at ports of entry; and
(B) to assess potential outcomes, including any negative
consequences, of the introduction of emerging or advanced
technologies with respect to which documented capability gaps
in border security operations are yet to be determined.
(2) Functions.--Each CBP Innovation Team shall--
(A) operate consistent with the Department of Homeland
Security's and CBP's--
(i) procurement and acquisition management policy; and
(ii) policies pertaining to responsible use of artificial
intelligence; and
(B) consult with the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil
Liberties and the Privacy Officer of the Department of
Homeland Security to ensure programs, policies, and
procedures involving civil rights, civil liberties, and
privacy considerations are addressed in an integrated and
comprehensive manner.
(3) Operating procedures, planning, strategic goals.--The
Commissioner for CBP shall require each CBP Innovation Team
maintained pursuant to paragraph (1) to establish, in
coordination with other appropriate offices of the Department
of Homeland Security--
(A) operating procedures, which shall include--
(i) specificity regarding roles and responsibilities within
each such team and with respect to Department of Homeland
Security and non-Federal partners; and
(ii) protocols for entering into agreements to rapidly
transition such technologies to existing or new programs of
record to carry out the purposes described in subsection (a);
(B) planning and strategic goals for each such team that
includes projected costs, time frames, metrics, and key
performance parameters relating to the achievement of
identified strategic goals, including a metric to measure the
rate at which technologies described in subsection (a) are
transitioned to existing or new programs of record in
accordance with subparagraph (A); and
(C) operating procedures that ensure each such team is in
compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations
and with the Department of Homeland Security's policies
pertaining to procurement and acquisition management,
privacy, civil rights and civil liberties, and the
responsible use of artificial intelligence, including risk
assessments and ongoing monitoring to ensure accuracy and
reliability.
(4) Annual report.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the
Commissioner for CBP shall submit to the Committee on
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and
the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives information relating to the activities of the
CBP Innovation Teams, including--
(A) copies of operating procedures and protocols required
under paragraph (3)(A) and planning and strategic goals
required under paragraph (3)(B);
(B) descriptions of the technologies piloted by each such
team during the immediately preceding fiscal year,
including--
(i) information regarding which such technologies are
determined to have been successful; and
(ii) the identification of documented capability gaps that
are being addressed; and
(C) information regarding the status of efforts to rapidly
transition technologies determined successful to existing or
new programs of record.
(e) Cost-Benefit.--Before initiating the large-scale
deployment of any new technology contained in the plan
required under
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subsection (b), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall
consider the costs and benefits to the Federal Government to
ensure that the deployment of such technology will provide
quantifiable improvements to border security.
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